Evidence-Based Practices

The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (Fox, Dunlap, Hemmeter, Joseph, & Strain, 2003) was developed by identifying the evidence-based practices that would:

Promote the social and emotional outcomes of all children,

Promote the skill development of children with social, emotional, and behavioral delays to prevent the need for more intensive supports; and

Intervene effectively when children have persistent challenging behavior.

Pyramid Model practices were identified through a systematic review of the research on classroom promotion, prevention, and intervention practices that have been associated with positive social-emotional outcomes and decreases in challenging behavior in young children with and without disabilities. Many of those practices are available here in the user-friendly What Works Briefs.

The Pyramid Model has been tested in multiple research projects and has shown evidence for promoting young children’s social and emotional skills and decreasing child challenging behavior.